This weekend Perth opens its doors and let’s you see inside 70 venues dotted around the city. Open House Perth is running this Saturday and Sunday (1st and 2nd November) and gives you the chance to look behind the scenes of some very public places and also into some very intimate private residences. This is the third year Perth has hosted this worldwide event and we’re super honoured to be given the chance to cover the event as official media partners – so stay tuned for a look at our favourite destinations!

This is an exceptional event run by a small group of passionate people (Here’s lookin’ at you, Carly!) with a tremendous love for architecture in this city. Come down, explore and check out Open House Perth this weekend! You are bound to have your eyes opened by the amount of hidden gems in this city.

Like this:

I have quite a number of character flaws, but one of my major ones (and my mum would totally agree) is my messiness. I’ve completely lost count on how many New Year’s resolutions I’ve made and that proverbial new leaf has been turned over time and time again – but to no avail. I love articles such as this one that legitimise my cluttered desktop as a sign of prolific creativity, and I assure you that there is a method to my madness. But it would be nice to be able to front up calm and composedly to my accountant come tax return time with one or two neat folders of paperwork rather than the usual balls of crumpled paper that were most definitely not pulled out from the bottom of a handbag that I haven’t used in months.

Kelsie from K gets organised must be an angel sent from on high. She maintains absolute order in a world populated not by dull filing cabinets but with dreamy pastels, washi tape, and handlettered motivational phrases. And she gets. shit. done. (Pardon mon Francais!)

This little lady sure is busy. She runs a blog where you can read her interviews with other equally inspiring and highly organised people (mythical beings in my eyes), she’s designed and launched her own stationery label, and you’ll be able to see her pop up at pretty much every single market around Perth this summer!

Last weekend we popped by Kelsie’s petite, light-filled studio with our aeropress in hand and had a yarn over mugs of freshly brewed coffee.

What have been some highlights of your stationery career so far?

I have to say attending Paperfest 2014 in London earlier this year was just amazing. It was a forum for young and new paper and print businesses to meet and learn from successful companies and those that are leading in the business. I got to meet Anna Bond (of Rifle Paper Co. fame!) in person – that was an absolute buzz! In terms of business role model, she is queen! She jumps into everything headfirst and works hard to make it happen, an attitude I admire so much.

It has been both humbling and amazing to see my business grow, in size and in reach. Lately, I’ve been posting orders to the United States and Europe, and I’m soon to be stocked at NoteMaker! I love that site! To see my products up there will be such an incredible accomplishment.

What inspires you to create your lovely, fun-filled designs?

I’m inspired by things I love (uh hello, macarons!) and things that I see around me. I’m working on a new range featuring sketches from my recent travels overseas. At the moment, I’m also obsessed with mid-century fonts and designs and you’ll find images that I like dotted around my studio.

I want my stationery to look so good that getting organised and writing to-do lists are fun and a pleasure to do!

Give us three hot tips to becoming a stylishly organised gal like yourself…

1. Write it down AND schedule it!

Write your to-do list and ensure you know how long a task will be actioned instead of sitting pretty on a list you might not return to (sometimes life gets in the way!). I like to schedule mine into my iCal so that I get reminders via my iPhone and on my laptop.

2. Find your own style and embrace it!

I’m definitely more of a night person so I know to write out my lists, plan my day and complete my big tasks after I’ve had dinner. If you’re an early riser – play to your strengths and schedule your tasks and do your planning in the morning! Too many people fight themselves and end up causing themselves a lot of unnecessary stress trying to be something they aren’t.

3. Give yourself a time limit.

Work can expand for hours and hours. When I’m writing out my to-do list I make sure that I write down how long I think the task will take me. If anything on my list says it will take me 5 minutes, I get it done straight away. Anything longer, I like to put in my calendar so I make sure I block out time for it. For really big tasks like commission work or designing a whole line I like to give myself a final deadline (usually a launch party for example – something fun to look forward to) and plan backwards from there.

Thanks for the pointers, Kelsie! I hope to put them to good use – heaven knows I need to!

Find Kelsie at the Something Different Etsy pop up market from 7th to 9th November in Leederville! Otherwise mosey on over to her webstore to check out her sweet wares.

Like this:

Lately, Jinn and I have been trying to push our creative boundaries, and the dappled sunlight through the maple trees in Hyde Park made for some fun and games and some pretty cool pics. The deep black shadows and spring’s new sun made for some beautiful contrasting light and shade. After what seemed to be the most dragged out winter ever, the warmth on the top of my head and the tips of my bare shoulders was more than welcome.

The year’s second Kinfolk gathering centred around this concept and invited us to leave our phones and pretentions at the door to enjoy “a messy meal” in each other’s company. Some gathered round the table and others on the floor, the finest food was savoured and the conversation naturally ebbed and flowed, most notably “ebbing” when those divinely succulent lamb cutlets arrived. They demanded our full attentions.

Other notable mentions. The revelrous texture of our ceramic bowls, deliciously rough to the touch. The winsome greenery strung from the rafters to transport us someplace magical. Candles burnt down to their stumps, a night well spent.

Get yourselves down to Beau est Mien whilst the lovely Kelsie from K Gets Organised is the artist in residence. She has a great range of stationery and paper products to help all of your disorganised needs (if you’re anything like me!). She is also holding a workshop on Sunday 19th October where she will let you in on her secrets for a productive and organised life, and you’ll go home with your very own personalised calendar at the end of the day!

We’ll be getting the chance to pop by Kelsie’s studio next week so stay tuned for more!

Like this:

More and more I’ve been learning the importance of living better and living bigger. And by bigger and better I don’t mean more luxurious or more expensive or more exclusive. I mean taking your life and your intentions in your own two hands and resolving to live, for want of a better term, as a good human being. Not necessarily always taking the easy road but consciously choosing the slower, perhaps more difficult way in order to achieve your own personal goals and ensure the just treatment of your own fellow men and women.

I get the sense that these are the kind of people Spencer and Marie-Clare are striving, nay, achieving at being, whether they’re actually consciously trying or just have it innately in them or perhaps a bit of both. After meeting them at the inaugural Cranmore Home Winter Workshop earlier this year and getting to touch their silky smooth dining table (that’s not weird at all) we finally caught up again with the pair in their own Fremantle workshop tucked in the basement of Many6160.

In the workshop, we’re surrounded by many pieces of wood in a multitude of tones and shapes, all awaiting their new calling in life. Currently in the pipeline are some magnificent benches for Cranmore Home made from timber reclaimed from an old dam in WA’s southwest region. There are other equally stunning pieces, including an almost-finished dining table with multiple perfect inlays (the kind that I call bow ties but have since learnt are called Dutchman wood joints) and brass accents. Said table would have come home with me if I drove a ute rather than a hatchback and had some extra dosh. But that’s okay, our time will come.

What strikes me most is their utmost commitment to their beliefs and work ethos – to produce beautiful to hold and behold masterpieces of furniture from recycled, reclaimed and found timber. Pieces that will last and stay with you and your family for lifetimes to come and be treasured, continually passing down the ever important message of sustainability. They think not just about themselves but for the future of the generations to come. And did I mention what an amazing little family they have? They make parenting sound like the most organic and natural thing to do! Marie-Clare is pretty much my ultimate Mummy-crush. They are both so clearly in love with being parents of two (plus one soon!) who truly live and breathe what they believe in. Think I’m exaggerating? Well, Milly their three-year-old is already getting in on the action and sanding her own wooden boards with gusto! That’s about as good a sign as any!

There are many ways to get some Maeker into your own home. Hit them up on their website or, to see some of their awe-inspiring work in person, Spencer and Marie-Clare will be at the upcoming York Bzzaar happening soon on Saturday October 25th and Sunday October 26th. Aside from furniture, they’ll soon be offering a range of homewares, custom lighting, and they also do bespoke bedroom, kitchen and bathroom fitouts (that’s a yes from me!).

Remember to support our independent, local businesses, particularly ones like Maeker who stand for so much more than the almighty dollar sign. Next time you’re making a purchase for your home, rather than buying ten cheap things that will likely be found in landfill a few years down the track, consider and invest in that one timeless, well made piece that will grace your home and your kids’ homes for a long, long time.